Copy Book Archive

Persian Treasures ‘Be careful what you wish for’, they say, and there could be no more endearing example.

In two parts

1904
Music: Albert Ketèlbey

© Bambooo, Wikimedia Commons. Licence: CC-BY-SA 4.0. Source

About this picture …

A silver Persian cat, of the kind nowadays known as traditional or dollface. These Persians do not have the extreme snub-nose of more modern breeds of Persian, and were originally bred in England. A Persian appeared at the first organized cat show, in 1871 in the Crystal Palace.

Persian Treasures

Part 1 of 2

Four suburban children (two girls and two boys) have discovered a Phoenix wrapped up in a Persian carpet. The fire-bird, proud of its homeland, has encouraged them to send the magic carpet back to fetch Persia’s ‘most beautiful and delightful’ produce, and the bulging carpet has just returned.

‘MY hat!’ Cyril remarked. ‘I never thought about its being a PERSIAN carpet.’

Yet it was now plain that it was so, for the beautiful objects which it had brought back were cats — Persian cats, grey Persian cats, and there were, as I have said, 199 of them, and they were sitting on the carpet as close as they could get to each other. But the moment the children entered the room the cats rose and stretched, and spread and overflowed from the carpet to the floor, and in an instant the floor was a sea of moving, mewing pussishness.

‘I imagine that they are hungry,’ said the Phoenix. ‘Why not send the carpet to get food for them?’. So it was written that the carpet should bring food for 199 Persian cats, and the paper was pinned to the carpet as before. The carpet seemed to gather itself together, and the cats dropped off it, as raindrops do from your mackintosh when you shake it. And the carpet disappeared.

Jump to Part 2

Précis

Four children send a magic Persian carpet back to its homeland to bring back treasures, leaving the choice to the carpet. The carpet returns bearing a hundred and ninety-nine cats, and the children’s friend, the fabulous Phoenix, thoughfully suggests they send it back for some cat food. (47 / 60 words)

Part Two

© Derek Harper, Geograph. Licence: CC-BY-SA 2.0. Source

About this picture …

A phoenix rising from the ashes, on the Guildhall in Plymouth. As an important harbour, Plymouth suffered greatly under German bombing in the Second World War (the Plymouth Blitz), and the Phoenix represents the resurgent city. Next to it is a sculpture of a Dragon pierced by the spear of St George.

THE cats mewed and mewed and twisted their Persian forms in and out and unfolded their Persian tails, and the children and the Phoenix huddled together on the table.

The Phoenix, Robert noticed suddenly, was trembling.

‘So many cats,’ it said, ‘and they might not know I was the Phoenix. These accidents happen so quickly. It quite un-mans me.’

This was a danger of which the children had not thought.

‘Creep in,’ cried Robert, opening his jacket.

And the Phoenix crept in — only just in time, for green eyes had glared, pink noses had sniffed, white whiskers had twitched, and as Robert buttoned his coat he disappeared to the waist in a wave of eager grey Persian fur.

And on the instant the good carpet slapped itself down on the floor. And it was covered with rats — three hundred and ninety-eight of them, I believe, two for each cat.

Copy Book

Précis

While the carpet is away fetching some cat food, the phoenix begins to worry that even such a distinguished bird as himself might look like a tasty morsel to a cat. He has just reached safety from inquiring noses when the carpet returns, bringing cat food in the form of two rats for each of nearly two hundred cats. (59 / 60 words)

Source

From ‘The Phoenix and the Carpet’ (1904) by Edith Nesbit.

Suggested Music

1 2

In a Persian Market

Albert Ketèlbey (1875-1959)

Performed by the Philharmonia Orchestra, conducted by John Lanchbery.

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Cockney Suite

’Appy ’Ampstead (Bank Holiday)

Albert Ketèlbey (1875-1959)

Performed by the New Symphony Orchestra of London conducted by Robert Sharples.

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How To Use This Passage

You can use this passage to help improve your command of English.

IRead it aloud, twice or more. IISummarise it in one sentence of up to 30 words. IIISummarise it in one paragraph of 40-80 words. IVMake notes on the passage, and reconstruct the original from them later on. VJot down any unfamiliar words, and make your own sentences with them later. VIMake a note of any words that surprise or impress you, and ask yourself what meaning they add to the words you would have expected to see. VIITurn any old-fashioned English into modern English. VIIITurn prose into verse, and verse into prose. IXAsk yourself what the author is trying to get you to feel or think. XHow would an artist or a photographer capture the scene? XIHow would a movie director shoot it, or a composer write incidental music for it?

For these and more ideas, see How to Use The Copy Book.

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